Surt

Surt (name meaning "The Black One"; also called Surtr, Surti or Surtur) is, in Norse mythology, one of the "Sons of Muspell," a fire giant.

Mythology

When Ragnarpk comes, Surt will take part in it by confronting the god Freyr, killing him after a hard fight. Then, once the forces of order and chaos have annihilated each other, he will set fire to the world with his sword of flame, so as to consume it entirely, and allow it to be reborn; only the human couple consisting of Líf and Lífþrasir will escape this fire, taking refuge in a forest, after which they will repopulate the Earth.

Some sources report, in a very obscure way, how Surt is tormented by the rooster Víðópnir, together with the giantess Sinmara, perhaps his consort.

Poetic Edda

Surt is mentioned twice in the poem, when a Volva discloses information to the god Odin. The prophetess says that during the Ragnarok, Surt will come from the far south, along with the flames, carrying a very bright sword.

Prose Edda

Surt is mentioned in Gylfaginning, first in chapter 4 by the third of the Ægir, who relates that Surt his sword of flame stands guard over Muspellsheim, the fiery realm that lies in the far south of the world.

Later, he reappears in Chapter 51, where his actions during the events of Ragnarok are recounted.

In addition to these, there are three brief mentions of Surt in chapters 18, 51 and 75.

Modern Influence

Fiction

J. R. R. Tolkien introduces into the fictional universe of Arda a figure who is physically very similar to the Norse Surt: the Scourge of Durin who fights against Gandalf in the dwarven underworld is in fact described as "black," with flames that are also black, wielding a flaming sword that is destroyed only by Gandalf's magic. Similar to the Ragnarok battles where there is no victor, he and the wizard perish together, although Gandalf later rises again.

In the literary saga Magnus Chase and the gods of Asgard is Magnus' first enemy.

Toponymy

Surtshellir, a group of volcanic tunnels in western Iceland were named after Surt. Surtsey (the island of Surt) is a volcanic island located in an archipelago south of Iceland.

Popular Culture

Comics

In the Marvel Comics universe, Surtur is one of the enemies of Thor and Odin. The latter, after the interruption of the "life-Ragnarök" cycle, is forced to fight endlessly against Surtur: after the end of each fight, the wounds heal and the two have to start the fight again. During Fear Itself, Loki had to free Surtur so that he could use him to destroy the Dark Asgard of the Serpent, Odin's brother. Surtur has now returned to Muspellsheim and is preparing his revenge against Asgard.

Video games

In the video game Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne he appears as a boss weak to ice-type moves, once defeated he can be obtained by casting demons. In the video game Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3, Surt is the final Persona of the mage arcana, obtainable only after taking the mage's social link, represented by Kenji Tomochika, the protagonist's classmate, to the maximum level. In the game Inazuma Eleven Go it is Axel Blaze who can summon the warrior spirit Surtur, Fire Giant.

Surtr also appears as a boss in the video game Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, developed by Ninja Theory. Once defeated together with Valravn, he will allow the protagonist access to the bridge leading to the realm of Hel.

In the mobile video game Fire Emblem Heroes, developed by Nintendo and Intelligent System, the main antagonist in the second book of the main story is Surtr, king of the Fire Kingdom, the Muspell.

In God of War Surt appears in one of the Jötnar Altars, and Mímir narrates his exploits to Kratos and Atreus. In addition, once you reach the Muspellheim you can undertake Surt's Challenges.

In miHoYo's mobile video game Honkai Impact 3rd the greatsword "Godslayer: Surtr" (top pick weapon for the battlesuit Vermilion Knight: Eclipse) is available for the pg Murata Himeko, the sword's description reads "Clad in a suit of vermilion armor and wielding the ancient flames of annihilation, she reforged the blade in a new form. The massive blade shone with a crimson glow. The sonorous pounding served as a dirge. Surt, the bane of the Aesirs, has returned." a clear reference to Surt's fiery sword.

In the mobile video game spinoff Fate/Grand Order Surt appears as a boss in part 2 of the story, in the second Lostbelt: Götterdämmerung. He is represented as a giant composed of fire and magma, having a terrible flaming sword and whose power was responsible for making almost all gods and humans disappear in the "Broken Ragnarök" that happened in the parallel world of Lostbelt. During the story in the game, the player and his companions discover the existence and history of this alternate Surt when he regains control of his body after freeing his soul, which he had bound to Servant Sigurd's body, and succeeding in breaking the rune, placed by Odin himself, that had trapped his body in the sun.

In the mobile tower defense video game Arknights, an operator named Surt appears, who, wielding a sword of fire, is able to launch powerful attacks, partly with the help of a spiritual being bound to her.

In the 2020 video game expansion Assassin's Creed: Valhalla The Dawn of Ragnarök, released on March 10, 2022, Surt appears among the main characters. In addition, the song Surt, written and performed by Norwegian singer Einar Selvik, is released for the same expansion.

Anime

In the Digimon Xros Wars series, Surt is the glowing red spirit on the right shoulder of Death General Olegmon. Along with Surt, in the left shoulder resides Jormungandr, the dark blue spirit. Surt in the anime often speaks English and strikes opponents at Olegmon's wish.

Music

Swedish death metal band Amon Amarth recorded an album whose title contains Surt's name, Surtur Rising (literally: The Rise of Surtur).

The 3rd track on the eponymous album Destroyer of the Universe tells of Surt's story during Ragnarok and how he destroyed the world after killing Freyr.